Definition of "muzzle" []

• The forward, projecting part of the head of certain animals, such as dogs, including the mouth, nose, and jaws; the snout. (noun)
• A leather or wire restraining appliance that, when fitted over an animal's snout, prevents biting and eating. (noun)
• The forward, discharging end of the barrel of a firearm. (noun)
• A restraint on free movement or expression: had a muzzle put on their high spirits. (noun)
• To put a muzzle on (an animal). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Porting the muzzle is awful hard on the ears, especially the other guys 'in the blind."
• "Yet by the time the shot actually leaves the barrel, the muzzle is ahead of the target."
• "In my state anything that shoots black powder and loads from the muzzle is not even considered a firearm."